Method for shading a rear window shelf

ABSTRACT

A sun shade is provided which protects the rear window shelf and upper back seat areas of an automobile from harmful sun rays without noticeably obstructing sound from speakers or airflow from ventilation ducts mounted in the rear window shelf. The sun shade is comprised of a relatively opaque yet sound and air transmissive mesh material connected to a fully opaque material. The mesh material is releasibly mounted in the rear window shelf via cooperating pieces of hook and loop material respectively carried by the mesh material and the shelf. The fully opaque material extends over the upper portion of the back seat and may be made to match the color, material and style of the interior of the automobile.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/425,415, filed Oct.23, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,226.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to protecting and preservingportions of automotive and other vehicle interiors from harmful sun raysand in particular to protecting the rear window shelf and rear seat backareas without obstructing sound from speakers or airflow fromventilation ducts mounted in the rear window shelf.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As automobiles, trucks and recreational vehicles become more expensive,consumers have become increasingly concerned with preserving andprotecting their transportation investments. The visual appearance andphysical condition of a vehicle can drastically affect its resale value.Accordingly, owners are concerned with preserving the interiors of theirvehicles to forestall the premature fading of colors and rotting offabrics and the unsightly cracking of the vinyl-covered portions of theinterior. The areas of the interior which are most susceptible to sundamage are located beneath the windshield and rear window of thevehicle. This includes the front dash, rear window shelf and rear seatback areas. The sun damage problem is particularly acute in the southernparts of the United States, and other warm climate areas.

In order to combat the deteriorating effects of the sun, many solutionshave been suggested ranging from chemical formulations to physicalscreening devices. Long chain chemical polymers have enjoyed somecommercial success in recent years but require repeated periodicapplications and are not suitable for fabric-lined portions of theinterior.

Physical screening devices for vehicle interiors, such as thosedescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,458,738 to Wilson and 4,659,144 to Reese,are comprised of opaque material mounted on the seats, dash and reardeck surfaces of vehicles, thereby providing needed shielding from thesun. However, speakers, such as those used with radios and stereosystems and air ducts are frequently mounted in the dash and rear windowshelf areas and the obstructing effects of these material covers limittheir practical utilization.

Thus, there exists a substantial need for an improved method ofprotecting those areas in vehicle interiors most vulnerable to damage bythe sun without interfering with the use of the vehicle's sound orairflow systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the sound and airflow obstructingproblems associated with prior known devices by providing a sun screenfor protecting the rear window shelf and upper portion of the rear seatback areas of a vehicle partially comprised of a material substantiallytransmissive to sound and airflow. A presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention includes a generally rectangular sheet of material havinga first relatively opaque sound and airflow transmissive portionconnected to a second fully opaque portion. The first portion is sizedto generally cover the rear window shelf area of the vehicle. The secondportion is dimensioned to overlie the upper portion of the rear seatback. The first portion of the material comprises a mesh or cloth fabricwhich provides a moderate degree of shading and is capable of passingsound from speakers and air from ventilation ducts mounted beneath thefabric without noticeable obstruction. The sun shade is releasablymounted to the rear window shelf by cooperating areas of hook and loopmaterial, attached to the rear window shelf and the sound and airtransmissive portion of the shade.

The hook and loop material permit easy installation and effectively holdthe sun shade in place. The fully opaque portion of the shade is drapedover the upper portion of the rear seat back affording a neat appearanceto the automotive interior.

The foregoing and other advantages and distinguishing features of theinvention are described in detail below and are recited in the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a rear interior portion of an automobile;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a presently preferred sun screen accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the rear interior portion of theautomobile depicted in FIG. 1, with the sun screen shown in FIG. 2 inplace protecting the rear window shelf and the upper portion of the rearseat back areas of the interior.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the rear interior portion of anautomobile, with another embodiment of the sun screen in placeprotecting the rear window shelf, rear seat headrests and the upperportion of the rear seat back areas of the interior.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently preferred embodiment of the invention provides an improvedway to shade the rear portion of the interior of an automobile or othervehicle. Referring to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a portion of theinterior of a vehicle, such as an automobile, including a rear window 1,a rear window shelf 3, a front seat 5 and a rear seat 7. The rear seat 7is comprised of a seat back 9 and a seat cushion 11. Speakers 13,connected to the automobile sound system, and air ducts 14, connected tothe automobile ventilation system, are located in or below the rearwindow shelf 3.

The presently preferred sun shade of the invention is releasibly securedto the interior of the automobile by the use of cooperating first andsecond moieties of suitable releasible fastening or connectingarrangements. In the presently preferred sun shade, those moieties arepieces of cooperating hook and loop material which form respective partsof a releasable fastener commonly sold under the trademark VELCRO.Velcro™ is available from Velcro U.S.A., Inc., Manchester, N.H. One ormore pieces of loop material 15 are attached, as by bonding ormechanically securing, to the rear window shelf 3. The pieces of loopmaterial 15 are preferably placed along a line across the rear windowshelf 3, adjacent to the interface of the rear window shelf and the rearseat back 9. The pieces of loop material 15 can be provided as part of akit (a retrofit kit) which contains the sun shade and may be attached bythe user or owner of the vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the sun shade comprises a flat substantiallyrectangular sheet of material having a partially opaque mesh screen orcloth fabric portion 17 and a fully opaque portion 19 attached to themesh screen or cloth fabric portion. The portions 17, 19 are comprisedof thin flexible materials and may be compatible in fabric, color andstyle to the interior of the automobile. For example, for a vinylcovered interior, a vinyl covered mesh fabric is used, such as thatmarketed under the tradename SHADEBRELLA, for the mesh portion 17.SHADEBRELLA™ is available from Phifer Wire Products, Tuscaloosa, Ala.Upholstery grade vinyl is used for the fully opaque portion 19. One ormore pieces of hook material 16 are placed on the underside of the meshportion 17 in a pattern to cooperate with the pieces of loop material 15affixed to the rear window shelf 3. Attachment of the pieces of hookmaterial 16 to the mesh portion 17 is preferably by stitching, but canbe accomplished by bonding.

The two portions 17, 19 are stitched together in a seam 21 along theirlong edges and the opaque portion 19 is trimmed or covered with edgingtape 23 around its exposed perimeter to ensure it does not fray or fallapart when in use.

FIG. 3 illustrates the sun shade when placed within an automobile,covering the rear window shelf 3 and the upper portion of the rear seatback 9. The mesh portion 17 of the sun shade is trimmed to generallyconform to the shape of the rear window shelf 3 and is mounted on theshelf by means of the pieces of the hook material 16 attached to itsunder surface.

The fully opaque portion 19 is extended over the upper portion of therear seat back 9 and may be styled to approximately fit the shape anddesign of the rear seat back. When the rear seat back additionallyincludes headrests 25, as depicted in FIG. 4, the opaque portion 19additionally includes pockets configured to cover the headrests.

Although the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention hasbeen described above and illustrated in the drawings, those skilled inthe relevant arts will have no difficulties making changes andmodifications in the different described elements of the invention inorder to meet their specific requirements or conditions. For example,when the rear window shelf 3 is covered by a carpeting or other materialcomprising loop ends, the pieces of loop material 15 may be omitted andthe pieces of hook material 16 may be attached directly to the loops ofthe carpeting. The partially opaque portion 17 may be substantiallycomprised of the same material as the opaque portion 19, having meshfabric inserts placed in only those locations where it overlies thespeakers 13 and the air ducts 14. The opaque portion 19 may be attachedto the mesh portion 17 by hook and loop material permitting its removalwhen it is preferable to only use the mesh portion as a sun shade. Thesun shade may be adapted to be attached to the front dash of a vehicle,such as by hook and loop fasteners, having its mesh portion overlyingspeakers and air ducts mounted in the dash. Such changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for shading from the sun a rear windowshelf with sound and/or air ports and a rear seat back of a motorvehicle interior, the method comprising the step of covering the shelfand the back with a sheet of flexible material that has a partiallyopaque sound and air transmissive portion fitting and overlying theshelf and a fully opaque portion fitting and overlying the top portionof the back.
 2. A method for shading from the sun a rear window shelfwith sound and/or air ports and a rear seat back of a motor vehicleinterior, the method comprising the steps of:covering the shelf and theback with a sheet of flexible material that has a partially opaque soundand air transmissive portion fitting and overlying the shelf and a fullyopaque portion fitting and overlying the top portion of the back; andfastening the partially opaque portion to the shelf.
 3. A method forshading from the sun a rear window shelf and a rear seat back of a motorvehicle interior, the rear window shelf having sound and/or air ports,the method comprising the step of:covering the rear window shelf andseat back by draping a flexible material over the shelf and back, thematerial having a partially opaque portion fitting and overlying theshelf, and for allowing sound and air transmission, yet providing shadefrom the sun, and the material having a fully opaque portion for fittingand overlying the back, and for providing shade from the sun, thepartially opaque portion being positioned over the shelf, and the fullyopaque portion being positioned over the back.
 4. A method as in claim1, wherein the rear seat back comprises headrests, and the step ofcovering includes covering the headrests with the fully opaque portion.5. A method as in claim 2, wherein the rear seat back includesheadrests, and the step of covering includes covering the headrests withthe fully opaque portion.
 6. A method as in claim 3, wherein the rearseat back includes headrests, and the step of covering includes coveringthe headrests with the fully opaque portion.